


Beacon Hills Supernatural Affairs Department

by any_otp_will_do



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Agents, Other, Supernatural - Freeform, investigators
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-11
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:11:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/879837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/any_otp_will_do/pseuds/any_otp_will_do
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU by spitefulwolf of tumblr in which the characters are agents of a special agency using the supernatural to investigate the Supernatural. Eventual Sterk and smut, if you give it time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by an AU created by spitefulwolf on tumblr. The mythology is a mixture of Teen Wolf, SPN, and Buffy, but you won't need to know the other shows to understand. Enjoy http://spitefulwolf.tumblr.com/post/53541627331/i-made-a-teen-wolf-au-thingy

Stiles woke up hating the world. It was fuck o'clock in the morning and his phone was ringing. Again. And, as usual, he slipped out of his bed and hit the floor as he grabbed for it, pulling his sheets partially down with him. He groaned and put his head to the wooden floor before putting the phone to his ear.  
"Stilinski." He said sleepily.  
"Stiles." Lahey's voice came through the receiver. "We've got a 34-40. We're treating it like a normal civilian interaction."  
Stiles sighed. "34-40, got it. Give me 20."  
It was just typical that he would be called in on one of the few nights he treated himself. After a long and ugly case involving a Boru Boru and a very near heart-attack on Stiles's part, he thought he deserved a break. Just for eight or nine hours so he could actually get a good night's sleep. But no. Someone was exhibiting suspicious behavior and lurking around the area of the Boru Boru's sighting. Normal people didn't just sniff around places like that.  
He pushed himself off his cold floor before shuffling around for pants and a clean shirt. Stiles shoved his feet into shoes and reached for his jacket blearily, glad that he had taken a shower before collapsing last night. He definitely wouldn't have been able to take one this morning. He pulled on his jacket, quickly straightened his tie, and grabbed his car keys before heading out the door.  
The drive in the Jeep was pretty quiet, except for the occasional whine that came from his brakes. He was going to have to get them checked for the third damn time in two months. Maybe someone from the office can check it out. He hoped so, because the douche at the shop kept doing unnecessary procedures to rack up the bill.  
He drummed a rhythm on the steering wheel while he navigated the dense, quiet woods. The pre-dawn hours were so lush and lovely in this part of the country. It was nice to forget some of his responsibilities—even for a little while— and admire the stars and the sound of cicadas and the way the wind brushed through the leaves on the trees.  
Stiles pulled up to the house that had long ago stopped being just a house. There was still a kitchen and a few bedrooms (mostly for people to crash in between shifts), but many rooms in the large house had been renovated into cells and interrogation rooms. There was a security room and high tech security cameras. What had once been an empty burnt up shell of a house was now a high functioning agency.  
That looked normal on the outside.  
Of course, technically, in terms of the law, they weren't actually a legal agency. None of the agents had official training or official licensing or had technically been legally given permission to capture and interrogate. But those were just technicalities. Because, really, who was going to give legal rights to a bunch of freaks investigating the supernatural cases in this town? That's right, no one.  
So they went 007 on it and became one of the world's first Supernatural Affairs Department. Complete with undercover house and fake IDs. They distanced themselves from hunters, as many of them had found most hunters to be shoot-first people, which kind of really sucked when innocent people were in danger. Stiles and his team swore to protect the citizens of Beacon Hills as well as the dazed, confused, lost, and hurting supernatural populace.  
They had established themselves well in this town, given that few of them grew up around here. The townspeople knew who they were, or knew what their cover identities were, and trusted them to get the job done. And so far, they had done exactly that without blowing their cover or alerting the public to what it didn't want to know.  
Because monsters exist, and that's scary as fuck.  
Stiles walked into the house and pocketed his keys, heading back to the interrogation rooms. He ran into Reyes on the way there. She was wearing tracking clothes and had her fingers wrapped around a cup of hot tea.  
"Coffee, Stilinski?" The blonde inquired. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she looked tired. She reached for the coffee pot and sloshed the contents slightly.  
"Yeah, thanks." He got himself a mug and poured out some of the bitter brew. "All nighter?"  
She nodded. "I was the one tailing the new girl in town. She's back in room two with Hale and Lahey."  
"Thanks." He turned for the hallway. "Get some sleep, Reyes. You need it."  
She nodded to him and made her way around to the stairs, swaying slightly and clutching her mug as if it would support her. He sipped his coffee as he moved back to the second interrogation room. And met Boyd outside, waiting for him. The man handed him a file and filled him in.  
"She hasn't said much. She's been defiant, but hasn't asked for a lawyer. Which is good, seeing as that would cause too much trouble. She also seems human, so far. Mahealani says there've been no eye flares, so that rules out wolf or shape-shifter of any kind. She hasn't had any other tells yet."  
Stiles nodded and looked through the one way glass at the girl in question. She had brown hair and a tired expression, as if she was done with the bullshit and just wanted to cut to the chase. She looked up and stared in the general direction of where Stiles was standing and smirked softly. He frowned.  
“How long have you guys been here?” Stiles inquired.  
“We brought her in little over half an hour. She wasn’t carrying anything too grand: a dagger and a small pistol.”  
Stiles nodded. “Well, I guess it’s show time.” He walked into the room with the file under his arm, leaving Boyd in the hallway.  
"Hello. Special Agents Stilinksi, Hale, and Lahey of the Beacon Hills Unusual Crimes Department." He gestured to himself and the two other men in the room: Derek, who was standing by the metal interrogation table and Lahey, who was leaning against the far wall.  
"That's a mouthful." The girl said.  
Stiles laughed mostly without humor. "You got me. So, why are you here? Agent Lahey tells me that you were spotted lurking around a crime scene of a recent case."  
"Is that so? What case was that?" She asked.  
"It's not really your business, now, is it?" Stiles said calmly.  
"It is if you didn't take care of it correctly. Do you know how to kill a Boru Boru?" The brunette looked at him, scrutiny scrunching the expanse of her forehead. Her brown eyes were searching as she checked all of them for reactions.  
Stiles gaped before collecting himself and letting out a forced laugh. "Uhm, a what?"  
"Don't play dumb with me; it doesn’t suit you. I'm a hunter and I know what you do. So, Agent, what is this department really called?"  
Stiles looked over to his partner and Lahey, both of whom had baffled looks on their faces. Hale ran his hand along his scruffy face and sighed.  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
"Allison Argent." She offered, holding out her hand to shake with Stiles. They didn’t typically cuff suspected humans. When Derek was in the room, there really was no point, what with his superior strength and reflexes.   
She hardly looked the part for a hunter. She looked sweet and innocent. She was most definitely in her twenties, if she was human. Probably no older than twenty-three.  
"I'm twenty- one, Agent Stilinski. Your senior by about a year."  
"Wait, how did—" He fumbled.  
She smiled and tapped her head knowingly. Shit.  
"Mind reader, huh?" Stiles sighed and grabbed his coffee. They didn’t always deal with opposers with gifts, but it wasn’t unusual for them to exist. Mind readers were talented, he wouldn’t deny, but they were difficult to keep out of private and important information. Having that type of power is addicting, and sometimes people get used to a certain upper-hand and won’t let go. It was going to be a long day.  
"It doesn't have to be a long day, Stilinksi. I'll just cut to the chase, as you put earlier." Argent sat up straighter in her chair. "I want in. You're on a hellmouth, as far as I can tell, so it's never a bad thing to have more back up."  
“How do we know we can trust you?” Isaac asked, fingers rubbing over his knuckles in a move Stiles knew looked casual to others, but really meant he was feeling anxious. Stiles flashed him a quick smile he hoped would be comforting.  
"You can test me with every monster repellant you know, if you need to. Salt, silver, holy water, I know you know what to do.” She shrugged. “I'd prefer not getting a wooden stake to the heart, because I'd die either way, but you can prove I'm not a vamp in other ways. Sunlight, is one option. But then again, you brought me in here without expressly inviting me and it still counts as a house."  
Stiles just stared at her dumbstruck for a minute. "Isaac, go round everyone up and we'll talk about this. Wait until Lydia gets here to wake Erica. She deserves some rest."   
Derek turned to him incredulously. "You can't be serious?"  
Stiles pulled out a silver knife and turned to a cabinet with other supplies. "There's no harm in talking about it. She can't get out of here. It's monster proof, and therefore, human proof." He turned around with a small bottle of holy water, a package of salt, and a bag of hoodoo magic. He set these on the table and gestured with his knife. "What's your preference?"  
The brunette smiled darkly. “May I?” Stiles hesitated. “I’ve had a few too many people test me this way. I prefer to draw my own blood, if I can help it.”  
Stiles looked over to Derek, who nodded. His nostrils flared and Stiles knew he was scenting the air for emotions that would give away intentions. He handed the knife over and Allison pressed the silver knife into her forearm, releasing a faint trickle of blood and a reaction no more exciting than a small hissed sigh.  
While they ran through the tests, Derek and Stiles kept up a rather steady, silent conversation. It was pretty amazing how expressive Derek’s face was. The silence had nothing to do with Argent being there; her mind reading would make it a moot point. No, Derek was just not much of a talker, so Stiles took cues from his eyebrows and the twitch of his lips. Besides, he didn’t trust easily, so his speech was lessened even more.  
Every once and a while, he would look over at Allison and watch a smile drop rapidly off her face. His brow furrowed, but he made polite conversation to make her more comfortable. She may technically be in their custody, but he wasn’t a heathen. And he didn’t like a lot of silence anyway.  
Little over a half hour later, Isaac opened the door and gestured for them to come out into the hallway. Stiles assured Allison they wouldn’t be long before he followed Derek out the door. They joined the other six members of their team, all watching Stiles intently.  
"Isaac?" Stiles jerked his head towards the door and Isaac nodded. There was a small rush of magic through the air as he faced the door. "I've slowed time in the interrogation room." He said as he turned back to them. "An hour for us is a second for her. It should throw off her mind reading ability. There will be too much information to grasp at once, it'll all just jumble together."  
"Good. So, Erica, you found her?" Stiles asked.  
"Well, it was me and Isaac." She confirmed. She looked like she had gotten some sleep and had dressed in her favorite leather jacket and red lipstick. "I was doing rounds when Danny told me about someone snooping around the Boru Boru sights. So I called for Isaac and we followed her. I convinced her, momentarily, to slow down so we could reach her, but she must have used her mind reading to break the bond. Mental manipulation only works when you don't know it's happening."  
"Yeah, but we got close enough to subdue her and bring her in." Isaac added. "No force really even necessary."  
“Makes sense.” Derek affirmed. “She wants to join our team.” Stiles watched the reactions, none of which were too negative. Erica murmured to Isaac, who nodded. Boyd seemed nonplussed and Lydia made a face of approval.  
"When they got here, she was really calm, as if she had been expecting this." Boyd said. "We walked her back to the interrogation room and she sat down and said nothing. Erica filled me in while Isaac went to phone you and Derek."  
"Of course, they told me and Lydia and we began working on some creature profiles. None of them have stuck, so we're going with human right now." Danny interjected.  
"I don't know why you all find it so difficult to grasp that she might just be a normal hunter." Lydia said, flicking a stray curl out of her eyes. "I mean, that's how all of us started."  
"Yeah, and don't you remember how chaotic and distrustful we were in the beginning?" Scott asked. "We could barely stand being in the same room, let alone work together."  
"Yeah, but you all got over it.’ Lydia countered. She shrugged. “I say we keep an eye on her and see what happens. We don’t have to trust her yet, but we can give her a chance."  
Derek, who had been silent so far, offered an almighty sulk. "And what happens if she tries to turn on us?"  
Danny sighed. "It's not like we wouldn't be able to take her down. There are eight of us and one of her."  
Boyd and Erica nodded their heads and Scott murmured along.  
"Alright, is this settled? We're giving new girl a chance." Stiles asked. Derek and Boyd just watched stoically, but everyone was in basic agreement as Isaac lifted the time warp and they walked back into the room.  
Allison was looking blatantly star struck as she looked at them all. (So was Scott, to be honest.) Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "How did you do that? You were barely out for a second and I couldn't get a read on any of you. How—"  
"You're not the only one in here with special abilities." Isaac said.  
"Are you blocking my powers?” She asked in awe and annoyance.  
Isaac’s brows came together, “Uhh…” He trailed off.  
Stiles looked around in confusion until he saw Erica's red lips curled into a smile. He'd ask her later. "Allison Argent, this is everybody. We have decided to give you a temporary membership to our inside world. Until your membership is golden, we will not be trusting you with any important information or great responsibilities. You'll have to follow orders and do what's best for Beacon Hills and the people who live here."  
"I swear it." Allison held up her still bleeding arm in a salute.  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
They had tended to Allison's needs and given her a room. Lydia was stationed inside the room and Scott was stationed outside. Stiles felt it was necessary to have two people watching, but decided that Allison would feel more comfortable if the one in her room was not a guy. She had basic needs and whatever and didn't need to be creeped out by one of his agents. Especially because Scott was the one who volunteered.  
Stiles loved Scott to the max, and they had been best friends since forever, but the guy was not that smooth. He was awkward and clumsy and more than a bit socially challenged. But he was the one who had the most sleep last night, and was therefore the most qualified for the job today.  
Derek had run off to run some errands and do some patrolling. Stiles debated briefly whether or not they should have a case hunt today, but thought better of it. They were all tired and if nothing was jumping out to bite their asses, then he wasn’t going to tempt the fates.  
Stiles followed the rest of the agents down into the lounge and watched them sluff around with tiredness in their eyes. "You guys can all go home. Until we have a case, there's really no benefit in staying, and we don't have enough beds for you all to sleep here. Go get some rest, but keep your phones nearby. I doubt we'll need back-up, but just in case."  
Isaac and Boyd leaped up quickly and went to collect their stuff. Danny made his way back to the security room to pack up his technology and high tail it as well."Hey, Reyes?" Erica raised her eyebrow at him as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. "What did you do to mess up Argent?"  
Erica laughed and tapped her forehead. "We have very similar abilities, she and I. She reads the mental waves people put out and I manipulate them. So I tried something new. I changed the waves so that she couldn't reach them."  
"You can do that?" Stiles was impressed. He knew she’d been working on expanding her abilities, and apparently her efforts had been fruitful.  
"Apparently." She turned for the door. "Good bye, Stilinski. I'll see you at a more reasonable time of day."  
Stiles glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was a little after four in the morning. He sighed and walked wearily to the security room to grab his own laptop, heading up to one of the three spare rooms in the old house. He slumped down on the old bed and opened the computer, determined to search up on Miss Argent's history and figure out what the hell a Hellmouth was.  
A Hellmouth was defined as an area of concentrated supernatural activity. There was often a focal point where the curtain between dimensions was thin. So that would definitely explain why Beacon Hills was such a popular tourist attraction for monsters. Stiles had lived here for a majority of his life and he knew very well the amount of weird shit that went on around here.   
It also turned out that Allison was from a long line of skilled hunters. For some reason, many hunters were very avid ancestry.com users. It must be a pride thing, seeing as many of the greatest hunting families had bloody branches going back centuries. Stiles searched their family tree until he came across one that made his blood run cold.  
He reached for his phone and dialed his partner's number quickly.  
"Hale, you're not going to like this."  
"What is it?" He sounded on edge, as if the tone of Stiles’s voice alone made him very tense.  
Then again, it wasn’t difficult to get Derek tensed up.  
"Kate was an Argent."


	2. Chapter 2

Derek was pacing.

Step, step, step, step, step, step.

Turn.

Step, step, step, step, step, step.

Turn.

_Step, step, step, step, step, step._

_Turn._

_**Step, step, step, step, step, step.** _

_**Turn.** _

"Derek."

Apparently that's all that was needed to break the silence.

"How could we not know this?! Do you think she had something to do with it? Do you think she knows?" He almost yelled.

"I don't know, but if you yell loud enough, I'm sure she'll hear you."

After Stiles had told Derek what he found, the line had disconnected. Two minutes later Stiles heard the snarling of the signature black Camaro ripping haphazardly into view. Derek hadn't even parked properly before he was running into the house and up the stairs. He had Scott go down and re-park the car and turn it off, seeing as Derek hadn't bothered to take the keys out of the ignition.

He had joined Stiles in the room he had been in, grabbed at the laptop to be sure the family tree was actually talking about the cursed blonde, and then nearly threw it in disgust.

Which brought them to the now.

And the  _pacing._

Step, step, step, step, step, step.

Turn.

Step, step, step, step, step, step.

Turn.

"She can probably hear our thoughts right now." He said, hackles raised.

"Erica is here preventing that." Stiles reminded him patiently. "And remember, we put her in the room that decreases brain wave signals."

The story behind that was long and embarrassing, including Danny's 21st birthday, tequila, and a  _very_ drunk Erica. And he was not about to get into that.

"What if she gets passed those barriers?" Derek spit out through clenched teeth.

Step, step, step, step, step, step.

Turn.

'"Well she did promise not to use her powers on us."

"She's related to Kate." He hissed.

Wow,  _rude._

"We don't even know if she knows about it." Stiles scolded gently, walking over to put his hands on Derek's tense shoulders. "You need to calm down."

Not a wise choice of words.

"Calm down!" Derek exploded as he turned around so fast, Stiles flung onto his ass. "Okay, Stiles, why don't we go we go have a cup of fucking tea with the niece of the spawn of Satan?"

Stiles got up gingerly, rubbing his sore ass.

"Look," Stiles was pissed now. Yelling he could take, but his ass was very near and dear to his heart. "We can't just go gallivanting around making judgments without any evidence."

Derek looked like he was going to interrupt, but Stiles held up a hand. "No, blood is not evidence. If it was, I would be an alcoholic and Isaac would be abusive." It was harsh, but it got the message across.

Derek sighed and sat down on the bed, falling onto his back with a slight bounce. He stared up at the ceiling, looking rather lost. It was understandable. Stiles knew what it was like to deal with pain, but not to this degree. He sat next to the guy and patted his knee warily.

"I don't think we should treat this any differently." Stiles said. "Well, not radically different. We won't send her out on her own for a while. I mean, we rarely do with anybody, but still. We'll always have someone keeping tabs on her. We'll have Danny do a mental analysis. We can't tar her with the same brush as evil Barbie."

Derek let out a breath that Stiles took as ' _that was only kind of funny, shut up. Now is not the time._ ' Of course, "now" was never the time. For anything concerning Derek.

Stiles only felt marginally guilty for thinking about his huge, emotional and mental hard-on while the subject whom he harbored said hard-on for was currently so distressed. But the situation was diverted. Mostly. And there was nothing he could do at the moment, so there was no real reason he shouldn't think about it.

If Stiles checked out his ass when Derek got up, he didn't have to admit it. He also didn't have to admit that it wasn't just a mental/emotional hard-on. It was a physical hard-on. Several times a week. Sometimes more than once a day.

"Where are you going?" He called after him.

"To try and defy the laws of weremanity." Derek grumbled.

"Going to try and get drunk again?" Stiles grinned knowingly.

"Yes. It's not fair that you all should have all the fun." He turned around and looked at Stiles.

"Alcohol is expensive. We don't have enough money to pay to get your wolf-ass drunk."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scott had returned to his post outside of Allison's room when Stiles checked in. He knocked quietly before opening the door and walking in. He nodded at Lydia who took her leave. She smiled at Allison before she darted out of the room. Stiles turned to the brunette who was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Are you two getting along then?" He asked.

"Yeah. She doesn't seem as suspicious as the rest of you are."

Stiles put his hands up in mock surrender. "This is just standard precautions. We—"

"Can't take any risks?" Allison dimpled when she smiled at him. "I know. I would do the same. And I know you aren't the aggressive one. Tall, dark, and brooding has some serious trust issues."

Stiles burst out laughing. It was true, so he probably shouldn't be laughing, but he couldn't help it. There was something intoxicating about this girl's sass.

"We're going down to train. And, although some are reluctant to let you see our spectacular skills, I reign supreme. I've told them before; I'm batman. Well, Lydia agrees with me, and no one can over-turn the Ginger Queen."

Allison laughed and stood up alongside him. "Lead the way, oh Batman, my Batman."

Stiles looked at her. "You are my fucking hero."

He explained that they would be taking certain precautions. "It's typical." He said. He blindfolded her before they walked out into the hallway. Once he was sure she could not see anything, he took her by the hands. Stiles led the Allison down the stairs to the basement and the training area carefully, sure to be careful of her blindness. 'I'm sorry, but we can't be too cautious. We've had experience with rogue agents before." (He was kind of fibbing, but she didn't have to know.) Once inside, he removed the cloth covering her eyes.

There were gym mats, obstacle courses and targets set up in strategic places around the room. Stiles, of course, had put this all together. There were a bunch of crates pushed off to the side which had become the water area (with stereotypical sports water cooler) and a few punching bags hung by the back wall. There was a computer center in the back corner set up with more TVs showing security footage. Right next to it was a closet which held more tech equipment and some of Lydia's training stuff.

Honestly, Stiles was a little too afraid to look at what she had there.

Weapons were mounted on the walls and displayed in sexy glass cases that made Stiles feel like some kind of secret agent. The others scoffed, but they didn't deny it was cool.

"Nice digs." Allison said approvingly. She looked around at the various equipment, but seemed to know that touching them was off limits. Smart girl. She walked along the room and sat down at one of the crates, ready to watch.

Sadly, Stiles had made some promises to Derek and she wouldn't be allowed to just sit there.

"Scott, catch." Scott turned and caught the flying metal and looked down at them curiously. Then he raised an eyebrow at Stiles.

"Getting kinky, are we?" He teased, unsure.

"It's not for me, dumbass." He gestured towards Allison who was perched on a small stack of crates and spectating quietly. Scott's realization was apparent in his blush. He walked towards her and, with a nod from Stiles, so did Erica.

"I, uh, have to… you know…" Scott blundered as he held the object in his hands out so Allison could see.

"Restrain me?" She filled in, eyeing the handcuffs swinging from his index finger. "Oh, puppy eyes, don't you think we should do that in private?" She cooed at him.

Scott blushed even deeper, spluttering and at a loss for words. Isaac and Erica snickered and Scott shot them each a dirty look. He took her wrists—outstretched and waiting—gingerly, touching as little as possible, and clapped the handcuffs behind her back. Scott shuffled away quickly and Erica took his place.

"I'm going to erase a bit of your memory. Just that of you walking down here. " Erica reassured. "It's—"

"Precaution. I know." Allison smiled. "No mind tricks needed, either. Go ahead."

"Don't fight me. It will only hurt more if you do. Isaac can attest to that." From the weapons case Isaac nodded.

Allison said nothing so Erica moved forward and placed her hands on Allison's head; thumbs near the tear ducts, index fingers at the ears, and pinkies on either side of her voice box. She concentrated and Allison grunted in pain. When Erica pulled away, there were bright red marks from where her hands had been. They faded slowly.

Allison was panting slightly. "Not too bad. I'd be very interested in talking to you about your abilities."

Stiles clapped his hands together. "Alright people." They gathered around him. "We're working on average skills today." He lowered his voice so Allison wouldn't hear. "I don't think it's a good idea to share certain information. With the exception of Erica, Isaac, and Derek—she already knows about yours—all supernatural abilities should be kept hidden."

They all agreed in varying degrees and looked to him for instructions. He usually gave them drills before they divided into their own sparring and general practice.

"Danny and Lydia, I was thinking you would do some mental challenges for each other. Try to outdo each other. Use your imaginations." Stiles was in full strategy mode. "Derek and Isaac: stealth and tracking. Go ahead and do that outside. Use the woods. Switch roles; one track, then the other."

They peeled off as he assigned drills. "Boyd and Scott: Hand to hand combat. I want you working opposite sides; Scott on offense, Boyd on defense. Try not to show too much of your more subtle attributes. I wouldn't put it past her to notice them."

"Erica, you and I are going to be working mentally today. I may not be a super-genius. Or even a regular genius, but my strategy skills are well-honed. You are going to be working to confuse me and change my plans. I'm going to do my best to avoid that. Mentally and physically. Alright, let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

About an hour and a half later, Stiles was covered in sweat. Mentally and Physically. Derek and Isaac had been back for a good twenty minutes and everyone had scattered about, doing their own things. Lydia and Danny had exhausted themselves with language and profiling, so Lydia decided to build a bomb. And Danny was going to have to diffuse it. That definitely made him nervous.

Isaac was throwing knives at targets that Scott was powering using a few hand cranks. He was distractedly not-looking at Allison, but Stiles decided to overlook that bit. Boyd was using the punching bags and Erica was going to get some water.

"Hey," Erica cried in almost urgency. "How did you get out of those?"

Stiles's head whipped around to find Allison with her hands in her lap, the cuffs at her feet.

"It's a skill I've learned." She shrugged.

Stiles walked over slowly. "How long have you been loose?"

"Well," she pondered, "I got out a few minutes after Sir-Broods-A-Lot left—I knew he would hear me picking the lock—so, an hour and twenty minutes? Give or take."

Stiles gaped for a minute before laughing loudly. Erica joined in with him while Derek scowled.

"I said I wouldn't use my mind voodoo, but I never said anything about my other skills." She jumped down from her throne of crates. "And right now, I'd like to try out those moving targets."

Stiles made a "Be my guest" motion with his hands. Derek walked over to him as she went to scope out weapons.

"Stiles," he sighed, brows knitted together.

"You need to stop doing that." Stiles said, trying to rub his frown lines flat. "You're going to get wrinkles."

Derek snagged his wrist and pulled his hand away. "How can you give her so much slack? What happened to cautious and limiting?"

"Look Derek, she was sitting there for over an hour doing nothing."

"After she broke out of her cuffs!" Derek hissed. Derek's hand tightened fractionally and Stiles winced.

"And she didn't make any move to attack. She would have plenty of opportunities." Derek looked like he was going to interrupt, so Stiles pressed on. "And, she's gained the trust of Lydia. That's difficult. We're treating her innocent until proven guilty."

Stiles pulled his hand from Derek's grip and placed it on his should instead. "I know this is difficult, but you can't let this anger cloud your judgment."

Derek glowered but nodded and they both turned back to watch Allison.

She had picked up a relatively new bow and was running her hands along it reverently. Her fingers tripped along the curve and string, smiling softly. She took the quiver out of its case and set it along her back. She faced the targets, nocked an arrow, and let it fly. Even from a good fifty feet away, she hit the target dead-center. There was a stunned silence.

"Fucking Lady Hawkeye over here. Jesus Christ! Why does everyone else get the awesome abilities?" Stiles cried.

Allison smiled and continued to practice. Her foot work was flawless, and she shot from multiple areas, including the obstacle courses. While moving. She hit them every time. Not always a bull's-eye, but enough to be completely freaky. After a while, Boyd started moving the targets again. And Isaac attempted to intercept her arrows by throwing his daggers at them. It soon turned into a competition between them.

Boyd left the punching bag to spar with Derek; Lydia and Danny—who had successfully diffused Lydia's bomb—were talking to each other with emphatic gestures. Erica was training on the obstacle courses and Scott was now turning the targets with renewed vigor. Stiles was just trying to not focus on the way Derek's muscled strained and the fact that he was taking his shirt off—holy god. He looked around for something else to pay attention to.

Allison looked over and smirked at him. He glowered right back. She raised her hands in defense. "Hey, some thoughts are too loud to not hear."

_Maybe you can hear this. Fuck you._

Allison's laugh was cut off by Derek.

"The silent alarm's going off. Someone's outside."

That silent alarm had been Boyd's idea. An alarm that only Derek or other wolves would hear. Because it wasn't really silent, just too quiet for human ears.

Everyone got into defense formation immediately, weapons in hand, while Danny checked the security footage.

"They've got surveillance staked out. All the cameras are covered by something." He relayed.

"Alright everyone, we're going in blind. Derek and I take point. Behind us Isaac, Erica and Boyd. Scott, Danny and Lydia take flank. Allison, you'll be between the second and last row. You're still not on our good side. Lydia, I want you to watch over her. Protection as well as detainment if necessary."

They followed his commands silently. Derek nodding at him before they made their way up the stairs and to the first landing. With weapons held aloft, they scoped out the room before cautiously heading outside. Derek's face was half transformed and his blue eyes flashed menacingly in the morning light.

They searched the grounds, tightly ranked and wary eyed. They found nothing. But Derek insisted that he knew someone was there. "There's this scent. It's familiar, but I can't figure out what it is."

He began to lead the group back towards the house, visibly following the scent path. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened. " _No_."

He picked up the paced until he was almost running. When they got back to the clearing, Derek stopped them abruptly. "Isaac, Erica, I need you to go around the back as silently as possible. They're inside."

"They?" Stiles hissed as they slunk away.

Derek didn't respond. He motioned for the rest of the group to follow him. Danny fell into step beside Boyd, filling in the formation to make up for the loss of two. They filed into the house and there she was, the woman Stiles only knew by her picture.

Kate Argent.

"Oh, Der-bear. You brought me a welcome party?" She cooed sickeningly. "You didn't have to do that. I only brought two with me."

There was a crumpled body on the floor that she gestured to lazily. Stiles, however, was more preoccupied by the lizard-like creature that was crouched by her feet. A Kanima. They had run into this creature in books and stories, but had never encountered one outside of hypotheticals. It hissed at them. Derek growled low and angrily, the vibrations running through the floor boards.

"Kate?" A small voice questioned from behind Stiles. It was Allison and she pushed past Stiles to see her better.

"Allison!" A deranged smile crossed Kate's features. "I'm glad you made it okay."

"What are you talking about?" Allison was watching the Kanima closely, but it did not make any move to attack her.

"They took you in to their ranks, so to speak, just like we planned." Kate said, as if to remind her.

"We? We didn't plan anything." Allison told her. " _We_ haven't seen each other in years."

Derek's eyes flashed. "I told you we couldn't trust her."

Allison's head snapped back to look at Derek. "I didn't do anything!"

"Sure you didn't." The Kanima rose from its crouched position and began to prowl the room. "Just like I don't know there are more of you."

The scaly thing darted out of the room. There was a sharp yelp, and grunt of pain, and two thuds.

"Erica! Isaac!" Stiles cried.

They were dragged back in to the room and unceremoniously dropped by the other figure. Who still hadn't moved. Before any of them could make any move to attack, the Kanima raced through them. Stiles felt a stinging sensation and went to reach for the back of his neck, but his movements were slow. He fell to the ground, body paralyzed. The others fell around him, awkwardly landing over each other. Except Lydia, who happened to be graceful even in paralysis.

Danny fell into Scott and Lydia's foot was trapped under Boyd's body. Stiles had landed half on top of Derek, left wishing that they had landed in this position under different circumstances.

Kate walked over to the group and sized them up. "Hm, you two make a cute couple."

"Are you jealous?" Stiles spit out.

"Someone's sassy today. I bet you had your bitch-flakes for breakfast." Evil Barbie grinned.

"I got through high school on a steady diet of sarcasm and witty one-liners. Don't patronize me Barbie."

"Hm, how should I do this? Shall we torture them, slow and fun?" She turned to Allison and pondered. "Or, should I lock them in and burn them to death like I did to the wolf's family?"

"What!?" Allison looked at her, horrified. Derek grunted as he tried to move.

"Oh yes, I locked them in and surrounded the house with mountain ash so they couldn't escape. And then I lit the place on fire." Her eyes glinted evilly. "Old houses are pretty to look at, but in a dry spell, they burn like straw.

"Apparently, however, I didn't do a good enough job. So now, thanks to my niece here, I get to finish what I started."

Tears were running down Allison's cheeks. "I didn't! I didn't Derek, you have to believe me!" She was in hysterics, desperate for him to understand. "I didn't know! I'm not with her!"

Okay, Allison, you can drop the act now. I can't believe they believed you in the first place." Kate pursed her lips. "We are going to have to work on your acting skills."

Instantly Allison's face cleared up and a feral smile spread across her face. "Too much?" She pouted. "I was going for angst-y teenager meets desperately innocent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don’t mind the parallels between Matt and Kate. I figured psychos go together.
> 
> In this story, Derek is not an alpha. He doesn’t have a pack, so he can’t be an alpha.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for detailed descriptions of physical and sexual abuse and the reactions to it. Warning for PTSD and the victim of abuse breaking down and reacting violently. Warning for psychotic behavior. Warning for mentions of statutory rape and the aftermath of abduction and violent rape. Read with discretion, please.

"What?!" Scott cried the same time Danny whispered "Fuck."

Stiles stared the best he could. He could barely lift his head but he got a good view of Allison and Barbie hugging and laughing. They broke away from each other, dimples flashing. _How can evil people be so adorable at the same time?_  Stiles grunted as he tried to move at all. It was no use; he was completely paralyzed from the neck down. His neck ached, and he relaxed, sending his head into Derek's collarbone.

" _Fuck._ " He hissed. "You're bones hurt _._ " Stiles grumbled into his sweater.

"Sorry." Derek replied sarcastically. "I'll work on that."

Stiles picked his head back up and watched the psychotic duo. Allison was chatting animatedly to Kate, eyes bright. She gave the group on the floor the side eye. "What are we going to do with them, then?"

"Well, it's a bit of a waste to just kill them. Look at them… I don't know if I'd rather kill it or lick it." Anger roiled hot and acrid in Stiles's stomach. He wished he had the ability to spit in her face, but he'd probably end up spitting on himself.

"Very attractive bunch you've got here, huh, Derek?"He growled a bit. "Ooh, scary. I've missed this side of you. My bed has been cold without you."

Stiles nearly choked on his own rising fury. "What?" He choked out.

"Oh, didn't he tell you that teeny tiny little detail? Oh yes, before I killed his whole family, I kept him as my… companion." She had a sick smile on her face. "Little baby Derek didn't really know what he was doing, did he?"

Derek roared at her and she kicked him in the ribs. "I'm  _TALKING_!" Kate screamed, eyes manic. She grabbed Isaac by the throat and pulled him so he lay at her feet. She place one booted heel on his throat, pressing down so he spluttered and coughed. "I want to tell a story, and I  _will._  Or we can see how well this cutie can breathe with a shoe through his neck."

Derek's eyes narrowed, but he stayed quiet. Stiles was torn. He wanted to know more about Derek's past, but not like this. His body strained to get up and protect Isaac but he could barely feel the tips of his toes.

"He had some pretty raw talent and endurance for a sixteen year old—" Stiles gasped and he could hear a few of the others making noises of disbelief. "I guess that's one of the advantages of being a werewolf, huh?"

There was silence. Kate seemed put out by their reaction and moved over to Allison. "So, which one do you want?" While Allison looked them over, Kate spun around and kicked Erica in the ribs,  _hard._  Stiles was pretty sure he heard a crack. Erica cried out in anger and pain. "Get out of my head, bitch. You're mind crap won't work on me. I can do what you do. How else do you think I got a teenager to spill his family secret?"

Erica cursed under her breath, wincing at the sting of her ribs when she inhaled. Stiles felt so hopeless. He couldn't figure out how he was supposed to help his team. They were going to be killed by an archery queen, a homicidal pin up girl, and her freaky scaly excuse for a pet.

"Allison, did you know that a certain level of electrical current can halt a person's ability to use their supernatural powers? I figured that out with that one." She callously pointed at the figure on the floor. Stiles was worried; she hadn't moved since they had shown up. He really, _really_ , hoped she wasn't dead. "And guess what I brought with me?"

Kate walked over to a duffel bag and pulled out some electrical cables. "You've had bad luck with electrical cables, haven't you Der-bear?" She tutted. "I hope you were more careful with this place. Maybe I should check it out for you."

She began uncoiling the cables. "You know, somehow two others escaped. Did you know that?"

Stiles felt a change in Derek. "What? Who?" He barked at her.

"Hm… what are their names? Laura, the older one and Cora, the baby. Cora and I got to know each other very well." Kate laughed. "I didn't have as much time with Laura. She was too vicious. Like a rabid dog. I had to put her down for her own good. Quick sword to the middle worked wonderfully.

"But with Cora… knives, arrows, electricity… do you know what wolfsbane in a vaporizer can do?" Kate went over to the girl, still frozen on the ground and pulled her up viciously by the hair. Derek saw her and gasped in surprise. He let out another growl, fiercer and angrier this time. Kate pulled her head close and squished the girl's face. Her eyelids were lax and she groaned slightly. "Very interesting stuff. Probably why she hasn't moved in several hours."

Stiles gaped at the girl— _Cora_ —who was Derek's younger sister. She barely looked eighteen. Her clothing was ripped and bloodstrained. Her hair was knotted and her skin was covered in dirt. She looked like she had been dragged behind a car. One of her eyes was swollen and her lip was split.  _Why wasn't she healing?_

"All this info is filed away for the next time I deal with werewolves. And now I get to do research on so many more… subjects." She clapped her hands like a small child.

She yanked Stiles by the shirt and pulled him into a sitting position, a knife sliding across his throat just enough to make the blood prick to the surface. Derek growled and Scott yelled at Kate, but she ignored them both. "So… who wants to play?"

"I don't." It was Allison. Kate turned to see her holding a small pistol that looked like one of those from the room downstairs. Kate pressed her dagger more firmly into Stiles neck, enough that he could feel the potential of serious damage.

"Put the knife down, Kate." Allison ordered. "This is your only chance. I will shoot you."

Kate paused for a minute before she laughed for a long time. "You shoot me? As if you could even. I'd slit this boy's throat before you could even pull the trigger. In fact," she added, "Let's see how many I can go through before you do figure out how to work that gun.

"Leave the grown up tools to those who are actually grown up, Ally." Allison did not move. "You're just like your father." Kate yelled at her. "He couldn't do what needed to be done either. He was a disappointment, weak—"

There was a loud explosion and Kate grunted, dropping Stiles and falling into a coffee table. She grabbed at her chest before she fell limply onto her face. The quiet stretched for a pulse before the group collectively exhaled. Instantly, Lydia bolted upwards and inspected Kate.

Stiles looked at her incredulously. "What?" She said. "The Kanima missed me. I didn't want to attract attention to myself, or I'd be paralyzed too. I was working on a plan." She explained defensively. She checked for Evil Barbie's pulse and found none.

Ding dong, the bitch is dead.

Stiles had landed on his side, his arm pinned under his body. He watched as Allison wiped at her face and immediately went to check on everybody. She went first to Stiles. "How's that cut doing, captain?" She asked him, cracking an uncertain smile.

"It's just a flesh wound." He said in a bad English accent. "I'm fine, it's not deep."

She smiled at him again and moved over to Erica and Isaac, checking on her rib ("Definitely a fracture, but not a full scale break. You'll be fine in a few days.) and Isaac's head and throat. ("No bruising yet, that's a good sign.") She moving along and sitting everyone up so they could see clearly.

Meanwhile Lydia was checking Cora. "I don't know why she isn't healing. It must be the wolfsbane Kate talked about. She looks like she needs a bath and some medical attention, but I don't think she'll wake up soon. Who knows what else Kate's done to her." She turned to the now human Kanima and froze, hand suspended in mid-air. "No…"

"What is it?" Isaac called from where Allison had propped him up against the wall.

"It's… it's Jackson."

"Who?" That was Derek.

"My ex boyfriend." She said, turning him over gently so she could look him over. "He's safe now, right?"

"Yeah." Danny assured her. "He won't transform or attack until he's called to do so. He's got to have orders from a master. And now that Kate's dead…"

"Looks like you're his new master." Stiles finished, peering at Allison.

She looked up from Boyd, who was beginning to wiggle his hands and feet. "But I don't want to be anyone's master. That's just plain creepy." The group laughed. "Boyd, how are you doing that? The others are all practically still paralyzed solid."

He grunted as he tried to get his feet under him, movements slow and jerky. "One of my many talents." He said. "Vernon Boyd: Earth manipulation, slightly enhanced strength, and damage absorption."

"You're like an earth bender and Mr. Incredible rolled into one." She smiled.

Boyd chuckled. "Alas, not Mr. Incredible, not that strong. It's a strong like rocks, kind of thing. I draw my power from the ground. Sorry I couldn't help you earlier, but I need to be able to move to use the earth manip."

"That's alright, I got through fine." She said, getting up to check on Scott.

"I can wiggle my toes now." He said excitedly.

Allison dimpled at him. "I'm so proud." As she moved him up against a chair, Stiles saw him close his eyes and inhale deeply. Kind of stalker-esque, but Stiles let it pass. He was wearing a dreamy expression when she pulled away. "So tough guy, what can you do?"

"Uh, I'm immortal," He said, trying to be modest, but it's not easy to be humble when talking about inhuman abilities. "Physically resistant and have enhanced dexterity…"

Allison raised her eyebrow, "Uh, wow… that's… wow."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. I'm Scott, by the way."

The rest of the group began introducing themselves as well. Allison had completely proven herself in their eyes.

"Isaac Lahey: master of time, tracking, and stealth. Not too bad with double daggers either." He casually tossed her his most adorable smile.

"Erica Reyes," Erica chimed from her position on the floor—Allison thought it would be best not to move her just yet because of her cracked rib. "You already know what I do. Mental manipulation of all kinds."

"I'm Danny Mahealani. Basically, I'm a genius, I guess. I specialize in teaching people new abilities and how to hone theirs. I've been working with Erica and Stiles," Danny pointed at him on the floor, "with theirs. Maybe we can talk too."

"What do you do Stiles?"

"If not for Danny, I would be the brains of this operation." Erica snorted. "I'm just kidding. I strategize and research, but I'm no super genius. I am the class chameleon." He focused quickly and faded, going completely invisible.

He looked up at Allison, hoping she would be impressed, but she was giggling.

"What?" He asked, defensive. He'd always thought he'd had the coolest power.

"You forgot something." She was hiding her smile behind one hand and pointing with the other. "If you wanted someone in your pants, you could have just asked."

Stiles looked down to see all his body and clothes gone except for his underwear. And of course he was wearing an embarrassing pair. He shifted back quickly and blushed. "I still have trouble with clothes sometimes."

"Batman, Stilinski? Really?" Danny rolled his eyes.

Stiles blushed deeper and cried with fake bravado. "Who's next?"

They all turned in varying stages of paralysis to look at Derek, who still hadn't introduced himself or spoken at all in a while. Stiles worried that he was going to be angry or freaked out, but he simply looked like he was concentrating very hard on something. His arm had moved down to his legs and his claws extended—

"Aw, dude. Gross." Stiles complained when he figured out what Derek was doing.

"It's going to start the healing process and shorten the paralysis time." He said to get him to shut up.

Allison walked over to him. "Do you… do you want me to sit you up?"

"No." He said.

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry I had to do that Derek. I didn't know what she was planning, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull anything on her if she was suspicious. I'm sorry, I didn't know…" She made a noise of contempt. "I hope you know I find her absolutely disgusting. I knew she was sick… but I had no idea it was that bad."

"It's fine." Derek said, clearly unsure of what to say. He surprised Stiles, however, when he found his words. "I'm sorry you had to do that. I'm not sorry it was her, but no one should have to… you know."

She nodded and stood up, surveying the room for anyone else who needed assistance. Boyd was getting to his feet, Scott was moving his arms, and Derek was extracting claws from his thigh, but the rest of them were still pretty stuck, with the exception of a few twitching fingers and toes. Lydia walked up to Allison and shook her hand.

"Lydia Martin. I shape shift. But I also drabble in languages and explosives."

"And by drabble, she means hides active bombs around the house to freak everyone out and defuses them just in time." Stiles griped.

"You're never really in danger. I've given Danny a full manuscript on how to do it as well in case I can't." Lydia retorted. She turned him to Boyd. "Can you get this?" She pointed at Kate's body. "If not, I will."

"You get it this time." He said. "I'm still working on basic functions." As if to prove his point, he wobbled a little on his feet.

Lydia shrugged and walked out of the room. When she came back, she had grown three times her size. Coarse black hair covered her body and she was leaning on her knuckles. Gorilla.  _Classic._

She threw Kate's corpse over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and marched out of the house. Stiles began moving his fingers experimentally, watching Derek strain to move his body. He felt creepy, but watching Derek arch off the ground slightly with the concentrated look on his face… it was very nice.

Boyd, now moving perfectly fine, looked around at everyone. "I think I may be able to absorb some of the Kanima's venom. I don't know how well it will work, but it's worth a shot."

He placed his hand on Stiles's chest. The warmth of Boyd's hand seemed to draw out the paralysis like a magnet. The venom was like ice cold water that pulled into Boyd's hand and dissipated. Boyd looked completely unfazed. "Is it working?"

Stiles pulled his arm out from under him, overestimating the amount of effort it would take, and smacking himself in the face with his elbow. "Fucking hell. Yes, it worked. Really well. My nose hurts."

Boyd laughed at him and moved along to the others. It even helped a little with Erica's rib. "The pain's gone down, but," she pulled her shirt out of the way to display a vivid purple bruise. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll be fine. Thanks Boyd."

He smiled at her and moved on to Isaac. By the time Lydia got back, they were all shaking out pins and needles. Derek had walked over to Cora, cradling her in his arms. He turned and carried her upstairs. Allison and Stiles followed him into the bedroom with a bathroom attached to it.

Derek set her on the bed, not caring about the dirt on her skin getting onto the sheets. He brushed her hair out of her face, checking the severity of her bruised and cut face. Up close, Stiles noticed a slash close to her hair line and another leading down into her torn shirt. Derek ripped away the shirt, eyes widening in horror as he took in the cuts and discolorations that blossomed across her chest.

She definitely had three cracked ribs, judging by her pained breathing and the bruises that stretched in arcs across her side. There were deep lacerations covered in congealed blood crisscrossing down her abdomen. Stiles swallowed back vomit as he noticed words carved into her stomach.  _Wolf Bitch._

He looked over at Derek, who was shaking. He was furiously vibrating, fangs extending, claws out, eyes flashing a menacing blue. Boyd, who was waiting at the door, walked in and grabbed for Derek. "Derek, man, you have to let go. Derek, let go, you're going to hurt her." Derek's claws were dangerously close to puncturing Cora's skin.

"Derek." Stiles said, calmly. Derek's eyes snapped up and they focused on his mouth, taking in his words. "Go with Boyd. Allison and I will take care of her, I swear. We'll get her cleaned up, but you have to go."

He allowed Boyd to lead him away, breathing heavily. Stiles turned to Allison who looked completely freaked the fuck out. "I don't want to look. I'm scared to know what she's capable of."

Stiles nodded, unable to get his tongue to work properly. He turned back to Cora, gingerly peeling away the remaining tatters of her shirt and bra. He considered her pants briefly, before deciding they would have to come off in order to wash her anyway. They were ripped enough that removing them was easy and Stiles barely needed to move her at all. He left her underwear.

"She's been through enough; she can do that herself when she's better." He gestured to the bathroom door. "Would you go and run the water? Make it room temperature. Hot water will burn her cuts."

She nodded and got up quickly. As Stiles listened to the water running, he looked over the rest of Cora's abused body.

There were several more cuts down her legs and around her thighs. She was dangerously thin, her bones sticking out from her skin as if it wanted to escape. Stiles saw red just imagining the amount of torture she went through. She had several burns on her arms that turned Stiles's stomach. He lifted her carefully, sitting her forward so he could inspect her back. She had what looked like whip lashes lacerating every inch of her back.

Allison came out to tell him the bath was ready. He lifted Cora more fully in his arms, doing his best to avoid her deeper cuts and not jostle her too much. He deposited her into the bathwater as gently as he could. She groaned and her eyes flit open before she passed out again. Stiles stepped out of the room, deciding to leave Allison to wash Cora. He figured she'd be more comfortable that way.

_He was wrong._

It was barely five minutes before the screaming. "Who are you?! What's going on!? Get away from me! Where are my clothes?!" There was frantic splashing, and Allison cried out.

"Stiles, I need you help!"

Stiles burst into the room, which startled Cora and made her drop the body scrub thing she had been using to scrub manically at her skin. She looked up at him with wide teary eyes.

"Help me." Her voice was small and broken. "Get her away." She pointed at Allison.

Allison looked over at Stiles, who nodded. She put her hands up. "I'll leave, but I won't hurt you, okay?"

Cora ignored her. She kept looking at Stiles. "Where am I?"

As Allison backed away, Stiles moved slowly closer. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to reveal that she was in the house most of her family died in. "You're safe. That was Allison, she's part of my team."

"Team?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, my team. We investigate supernatural stuff. Put an end to any shenanigans." She cowered, moving farther away from him. "No, it's alright. We're not hunters. I know you're a wolf, Cora, but that's alright. You've done nothing wrong."

She looked wary, but didn't argue. "Do you want a towel to cover yourself?" He offered her.

She shook her head. "I want to get this off me." She looked down at her cuts and bruises and sniffed loudly. "This is going to scar, you know." She gestured to the words cut into her stomach. "It's not like the others. K— _she_ —used a blade laced with Nordic Blue Monkshood. It'll always be there.

She picked up the scrub brush again once Stiles was sitting by the edge of the tub. She scrubbed furiously at her skin, before Stiles put his hand on hers. She flinched, as if it was the first non-violent contact she'd had in a long time. It probably was. He plucked the scrub from her hands.

"If you're going to use it that way, I can't let you use it." He admonished softly. "You have to be gentle, you're not healing well and you're going to hurt yourself."

Cora looked at him as if she hadn't thought about that. She nodded and Stiles gave the thing back. He grabbed a cup from the sink and filled it with water. "I'm going to pour some water over you, okay? Your shoulders and your back and then, if it's okay, your head too."

She nodded again. He tipped the cup so water dribbled slowly over her grimy skin. She hissed when it ran down her back. He apologized, but she let him continue. She followed in the wake of the stream with the scrub. She kept wincing, so Stiles gave her a wash cloth instead, telling her it would be a little less scratchy. After they had gone over her body twice, dabbed at her cuts, and washed her hair a bit, the water was disgusting.

Stiles handed her a towel and she stood up, wrapping herself in it. It was large, and her small frame was encompassed by it so much so, she looked a bit like a child. He guided her into the room and onto the bed. Someone had left two pain relievers and a glass of water on the nightstand.

Cora sat down and patted herself dry. "Are you hungry?" Stiles asked, handing her the water and pills. She shook her head and struggled to get the pills down. "Just want to sleep?"

She nodded and yawned. Stiles went to a bag he kept here with a change of clothes. "Here." He handed her a pair of boxers and a overly big shirt he reserved for fall nights. "It's the best I can do. I have a pair of sweatpants to, if you'd like."

"Yeah… yes, please." He got it for her.

"Do you want me to leave?" She shook her head. "Do you want the lights on?" She shook her head again. He flicked off the lights as she changed. He looked back when she gave him an okay, eyes flashing amber in the dark.

She lay down on the bed slowly, trying not to irritate her cuts. "Cora?" She looked over at him, her eyes still glowing. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." She told him before yawning and going still and quiet. Stiles stood there, silently horrified. After a few minutes of quiet, he went out to update everyone else on the situation. Derek was pacing.

"She's going to be fine. Everything will heal as soon as the wolfsbane is out of her system. She's got no broken bones, but she doesn't really know where she is. I haven't told her yet. We should let her know slowly.

"I told her who we are and what we do—with the exception of you, Derek, sorry. I didn't go into detail, just told her that we take care of people from the bad supernatural stuff and I assured her she was safe."

Stiles searched their faces. Allison looked especially shaken. She had probably been watching through Stiles's eyes, able to see everything he did. As he turned to go back upstairs, she pulled him aside.

"Stiles. The fire happened nine years ago." He nodded, eyes on Derek, who was watching them. "She's eighteen. She's been with Kate since she was  _nine years old._ "


End file.
